The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-19
Fruit Culture in the South,

iicablon, nut as an evidence OF good faith
Fruit Culture in the South.
The Hon. Parker Earle, formerly of Illi-
nois, now citizen of Mississippi, residing
at Ocean Springs, gulf coast, President of
the American Horticultural Society, the
best authority on fruit growing in America,
in his address before the interstate conven-
ton at Jackson, Miss, said:
Il think that Southern cultivators have
neglected the grape. The supply of good
grapes gazing ,Northward is extremely small.
| refer now to the varieties and species of
grapes grown all over the North and known
to be salable in all markets, and not the
scuppernong But all, or at least many, of
our best varieties of table grapes appear to
succeed admirably in almost all parts of the
South, from the hill and mountain districts
TO the very shores of the Gulf The vines
grow well, they be-. well, there is little or
no trouble from rot, +. the seasa- of ripen-
ing is SO early tina thu is % cou1p,. ltion
with the great grape crOt, u =" Nor:h l
certainly think that there are some golden
opportunities awaiting the grape grower in
many parts of the South"
OF the possibilities in Southern peach cul-
ture Mr.. Earle said: II think that there is
no part of all this vast territory where the
climate and soil do not permit the growth
of this glorious fruit, and we may not only
have it for week or so, but with success
sion of varieties may have it for nearly half
the year. And yet am told that fine peaches
are rarity in majority of the Southern
homes. And peach orcharding as bust
ness enterprise has never been established
on very large scale outside of Georgia,
and there only by few parties. / also hear
talk of great deal of failure in regions
where peaches used to do well. And yet the
climate has not changed nor the soil But
the peach has succumbed to insect foes of
tree and fruit but all this is remediable.
have great hope of peach culture in the
South, for think there are no obstacles to
success more than other peach districts suf-
fer from, and that the climate and soil are
on the whole generally favorable The
difficulties in the way are want of energy
in culture and management and multitude
of destroying insects. There are many
people who would cultivate well if that
that alone will not do it. Whether there
are many here or to come here, who will
both cultivate, fertilize, prune, thin out
heavy crops and kill bugs, in order to get
fine peach crops and make money, | do not
feel so sure. Yet, all of these things are
necessary, especially the bug killing You
have two months of season before Delaware
or Michigan begins with any varieties of
Importance, and you have GO, 900, 900 of peo-
pie hungry for your fruit. would not en-
courage anybody to plant another peach
tree to be given over to borers, the broom
sage and the cattle; and if there are men
who will take hold of peach orcharding and
master it, doing everything in the best
way, they will be certain to reap rich har-
vests"
Mr.. Earle has struck truth in regard to
what they call poor pine landsn in the
South which few people, even farmers in
the pine lands. believe in. These pine lands
contain nearly all the elements of rich soils,
and only need the addition of potash, phos-
phoric acid, lime and nitrogen and humus.
Pea vines, weeds plowed in and cotton seed
and stable manure may furnish cheap nj
trogen or ammonia; forest leaves, barnyard
and stable manure, peavines and weeds may
furnish humus. Marls limestone quarries
and shell banks may furnish lime and car
Donate of lime, and the best quality of kai-
nit and ashes may furnish potash. With
these cheap amendments to the soil most of
the pine lands may produce as well as the
Mississippi bottoms or bottom lands any
where. We have seen this proved by actual
tests to our entire satisfaction. Give these
pine lands and many other poor lands filling
that is equal to the warp and high cultiva-
ton, and fine meadows, corn fields, orchards,
gardens and vineyards will be seen as the
result, and fine fiocks and herds, and fine
diaries will be as common as poor crops and
poor farming are at the present time.